Enrollment
481
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 180010102521 Charter school
Career Academy High School — South Bend, IN
Federal NCES profile for Career Academy High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 71
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 49
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Career Academy High School · Indiana
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.3:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-55% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.2%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Career Academy High School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Career Academy High School reports 481 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 59.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 7.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 55% below the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 54% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 49.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 1% below the Indiana average and 5% below the national baseline. The school offers 1 Advanced Placement course, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 391 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Career Academy High School spends $13,895 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.2% from local sources (property taxes), 72.8% from the state, and 7.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Career Academy High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 7.3:1 | ▼ 55% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.2% | ▼ 1% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 481 | top 55% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
49.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 1% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
7.3:1
students per teacher
— 55% below state mean
Top 1% in Indiana — lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
20.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,895
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.2 FTE
Per 391 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 481 Top 55% in Indiana — larger than 45% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 59.0
Students per teacher 7.3:1 -55% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 49.2% -1% vs state
NCES ID 180010102521
Student demographics
White 44.5%
African American 34.5%
Hispanic or Latino 11.0%
Two or More 8.7%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 44.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.2
Students per counselor 391:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.6%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Career Academy High School, which includes Career Academy High School.
$13,895
Per student
-5%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 20.2%
State 72.8%
Federal 7.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Similar high schools in South Bend
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Adams High School
Standard public school
1,966 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Riley High School
Standard public school
1,238 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Washington High School
Standard public school
795 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Clay High School
Standard public school
628 students 9.5:1 students per teacher
Excel Center - South Bend
Standard public school
296 students 18:1 students per teacher
Rise Up Academy at Eggleston
Standard public school
149 students 11.7:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Career Academy High School
How many students attend Career Academy High School?
Career Academy High School has 481 students enrolled. It is a high school in South Bend, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Career Academy High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Career Academy High School is 7.3:1, which is 55% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 54% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Career Academy High School?
49.2% of students at Career Academy High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Career Academy High School?
The largest demographic group at Career Academy High School is White at 44.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in South Bend, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Career Academy High School?
Career Academy High School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.